Planting herb seeds for pollinators

Whilst there isn’t much to be done in the garden for pollinators in February, you can start germinating plants for the year ahead. The weekend just gone, we opened the herb-planter kit we got for Christmas and planted the seeds. The herbs that came with the kit were basil, chives, and parsley, and whilst parsley is not the best herb for pollinators, basil and chive flowers are great. We also had some thyme seeds from another seed pack that we planted in a separate pot, which is also a hit with pollinators. We watered in the seeds, then covered the pots in cling film to create a greenhouse effect and put them on the south facing windowsill to keep them warm. Hopefully we will start to see some shoots soon! Once the plants are large enough, we will be able to put the pots outside so that pollinators can access the flowers, but not too far down the garden as we want to use the leaves in cooking.

Planting herbs can take place later in the year and outside once the weather is warmer, but by getting a head start inside now, we will have flowers a lot sooner which can support the pollinators in our garden. Given our big plans to transform the garden this year to grow lots of fruit and veg, we need to be doing what we can to support the local pollinators who will be vital to the pollination process later in the year.

For more information on growing herbs for pollinators, head over to the Bumblebee Conservation Trust website and read their great leaflet from the Bee the Change campaign on herbs for bees and other pollinators.